Medicinal Plants Classification Biosynthesis and ... - Index of

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S.M.M. Vasconcelos, J.E.R. Honório Júnior, R.N.D. Cavalcante de Abreu et al.
acid, two steroidal saponins (3-O-beta-D-beta-glicopiranosilsitosterol and 3-O-beta-D-betaglicopiranosilestigmasterol)
and eight flavonoids: 3,4',7,8-tetra-O-methylgossipetine,
3,3',4',7,8-penta-O-methilgossipetine, 3,3',4',7 tetra-O-methylquercetine, 3-O-methyl-quercetine,
7-O-methylapigenine, 3,7-di-O-methylkanpherol, 7-O-methylkanpherol and 3,7,8-tri-
O-methylherbacetine (Silva, Carvalho, Braz-Filho, 2002).
It is a species of potential importance in pharmacology, due to curarizing activity of its
roots extracts and molluscicidal activity of its fruits (Silva et al., 2005).
A study performed with species of genus Solanum concluded that extracts from fruits of
S. asperum (CL50 = 420,5 μg/mL) and S. paludosum (CL50 = 548,0 μg/mL); aereal parts of
S. diamantinense (CL50 = 481,0 μg/mL) and S. sisymbrifolium (CL50 = 382,7 μg/mL); and
roots of S. asperum (CL50 =593,4 μg/mL) and S. stipulaceum (CL50 = 823,1 μg/mL) that
showed molluscicidal activity against Biomphalaria glabrata, also showed toxic activity
against Artemia salina (Silva et al., 2007).
Other study assessed the anticonvulsant activity non-treated ethanolic extract of S.
paludosum. In preliminary behavioral pharmacological trial tests, the extract showed
depressor effect in central nervous system (Quintans-Júnior et al., 2002).
5. Dioscorea Cayenensis
Dioscoreaceae has predominantly Pantropical distribution and comprises five genus and
about 900 species. Most of the species belong to Dioscorea (Souza, Lorenzi, 2005).
Dioscorea cayenensis produces the sapogenin diosgenin, whose commercial extraction is
done almost always from Dioscorea species (Rizzini, Mors, 1976).
Diosgenin is the sapogenin of major economic importance. Sapogenins are important to
production of steroidal hormones. Almost two-thirds of all steroidal hormones are produced
from diosgenin extracted from tubercles of many species. Other sapogenins are hecogenin
and solasodine, produced by A. sisalana and S. paludosum, respectively (Rizzini, Mors,
1976).
Solasodine belongs to the group of alkaloids because it presents nitrogen in ring ―F‖,
while diosgenin and hecogenin have oxygen. The main differences in chemical structures of
diosgenin and hecogenin are: hecogenin has carbonyl linked to carbon 12, while diosgenin
has double bond between carbons 5 and 6 (Barbosa-Filho, 1991).
6. Crotalaria Genus
Plants of genus Crotalaria belong to family Leguminosae, which comprises more than
600 species and grows abundantly in tropical and subtropical zones. They are more numerous
in Africa, India, Mexico and Brazil, which are the main centers of diversity of this genus
(Cheecke, 1988; Palomino, Vásquez, 1991). In Neotropical region, approximately 70 species
are found from the South of United States to subtropical Argentina and Uruguay. The species
of genus Crotalaria are herbal plants with 50 cm height or trees with 3 m height, with
digitate-trifolioate leaves, unifolioate or simple; predominantly yellow flowers; androecium